Benton Track Season Opens at Bobcat Stadium

Bobcat fans - are you ready for the outdoor track season!  Bobcat Stadium will be the site of the first meet of the season as the boys and girls track teams host the Parent Invitational on Monday, March 31st starting at 4:30 p.m.  

The following boys teams will be competing: Alburnett, Belle Plaine, Grinnell, South Tama, Valley Lutheran, and the Bobcats.

The following girls teams will be competing: Alburnett, South Tama, Valley Lutheran, Waterloo Christian, Grinnell, and the Lady Bobcats.

Please consider an evening of track and field and support the Bobcats as the season opens!

Benton Theatre to Present MASH on March 28-29

The Benton Community Theatre Department will present MASH in the MS/HS Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 28th and Saturday, March 29th starting at 7:00 p.m.  Please consider enjoying a night of great talent and enjoyment by supporting the Benton Community Theatre Department.  Additional information regarding performances are highlighted in the poster below:

Classes Dismissed Early on Wednesday

This is a reminder that classes at Benton Community will be dismissed at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26th.  Wednesday marks the end of the third term at the MS/HS.  The MS/HS staff will be working on grade reporting and preparation for 4th term classes in the afternoon.  The elementary staff will be involved in building level professional development from 1-3 p.m. and then elementary P/T conferences will be held from 3-8 p.m. Elementary P/T conferences are also scheduled for Thursday, March 27th from 4-8 p.m. 

Nate Woeste Named to 2nd Team All-State

Congratulations to Nate Woeste on being selected to the Iowa Newspaper Association's 2nd Team All-State basketball team. Nate had an outstanding senior season in leading the Bobcats to one of the best records in school history.  

Classes Dismissed Early on Friday

Classes will be dismissed at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 21st as the elementary third term concludes. Elementary teachers will be working on grade reports and parent-teacher conference preparation. K-6 conferences will be held on Wednesday, March 26th from 3-8 p.m. and Thursday, March 27th from 4-8 p.m.  

The 7-12 staff will be working on Positive Behavior and Intervention Support (PBIS) activities on Friday afternoon.  

Have a great Bobcat Weekend!

Benton Students Attend Video Production Worshop

Last week Benton Community students Andrew Damon, Luke Pailthorpe, Michael Zittergruen, Keaton Kline and Bryar Pedersen attended a Video Production Workshop at the Grant Wood Area Education Agency. Thanks to Mr. Tom Leonard for arranging for this career exploration experience for these students.

Board of Education to Meet on March 19th

The Benton Community Board of Education will meet in regular session on Wednesday, March 19th starting at 7:30 p.m. at the MS/HS Media Center.  Below is a tentative agenda for the meeting.

TENTATIVE AGENDA

                                                                                                                                                

1.         CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                          

2.         DELEGATIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, CONSIDERATION OF                                

            ADDITIONAL ITEMS FOR THE AGENDA – OPEN FORUM

3.         APPROVAL OF AGENDA                                                                                             

4.         APPROVAL OF MINUTES                                                                                              

5.         BUSINESS SERVICES                                                                                                  

            A.         WARRANTS 

            B.         FINANCIAL REPORTS

                                   

6.         SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT REPORTS                                                                             

7.         ADMINISTRATOR REPORT                                                                                            

             

8.         BUDGET REDUCTION RECOMMENDATION FOR FY 2015                                              .

9.         PERSONNEL                                                                                                              

            A.         RESIGNATIONS

            B.         RECOMMENDATIONS  

           

10.        2014-2015 BUDGET                                                                                                       

A.    PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF THE BUDGET

B.    INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT LEVY INCOME SURTAX RATE

C.    SET BUDGET HEARING / BOARD MEETING DATE FOR APRIL 9, 2014

D.    BUDGET PUBLICATION APPROVAL

                          

11.        TEACHER LEADERSHIP REVIEW COUNCIL APPOINTMENT                                                    

12.        BOARD POLICY                                                                                                               

13.        28E AGREEMENT ON KCC CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT                                            

           

14.        STUDENT TEACHING AGREEMENT APPROVAL

15.        EARLY GRADUATION REQUEST

16.        SUPERINTENDENT AND BOARD GOALS

17.        UPCOMING EVENTS                                                                                                     

                       
18.        ADJOURN                                

NHS Dinner set for March 18th

On Tuesday evening, March 18th the high school will host the NHS Recognition Dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. in the MS/HS Student Center.  This is a night to celebrate and recognize student leaders at Benton Community High School. Congratulations to all the junior and senior students being formally inducted into the Benton Community Chapter of the National Honor Society.

Post Prom Support Needed

The parents and caregivers of junior students are sponsoring the 22nd annual Post Prom event on Saturday, April 12th. On behalf of the Post Prom Committee, I encourage you to support this effort. Donations are greatly appreciated and you can make a check payable to: 2014 Post Prom and mail checks to: 2014 Benton Community Post Prom c/o: Doug Goodsell, Treasurer PO Box 185, Watkins, IA 52354. DUE MARCH 21st. Your support in making the 2014 Post Prom a success is greatly appreciated by all the students who attend!

Academic All-State Basketball Team

Congratulations to seniors Nate Woeste and Andrew Thompson for being selected to the Academic All-State Basketball Team! Only 24 players made the team from all the players in the state of Iowa! Nate and Andrew will be honored at the Boys State Tournament this weekend!  Thank you for representing the basketball program and Benton Community High School in such a positive manner!

Spring Athletic Seasons Under Way

As the sun begins to warm the air and the days become longer we prepare for the start of be spring sports season.  The track teams have already started practices and the golf and soccer teams will soon be busy as well.  Below are the first scheduled events for each spring sport:

Girl Track              Saturday, March 22     WAMAC Indoor

Boy Track              Saturday, March 22     WAMAC Indoor

Girl Soccer             Tuesday, April 8         Beckman at Bobcat Stadium

Boy Soccer             Saturday, April 5         Newton Tournament

Girl Golf                 Monday, April 7          Marion at Tara Hills CC

Boy Golf                Monday, April 7           Marion at Gardner Golf Course

Benton Recognizes National Honor Society Students

Recently the Bobcat Chapter of the National Honor Society recognized new members during an assembly at the MS/HS. Members of the NHS are selected based on their accomplishments in the areas of character, leadership, scholarship, and service. The following senior and junior students are the newest members of the Benton Community Chapter of the National Honor Society:

Seniors:
Aspen Auld
Victoria Bartelt
Taylor Busta
Kelsey Garin
Hannah Miller
Sheldon Steinford

Juniors:
Jessica Beatty
Brooke Boddicker
James Brecht
Andrew Damon
Colton David
Matthew Gerhold
Elizabeth Gleason
Ben Haerther
Anna Hagen
Trevor Hartz
Alyssa Hoeppner
Rebecca Kimm
Drew Kithcart
Ashley Masten
Megan McGovern
Austin Mills
Kyle Miner
Macy Miner
Megan Mismash
Natalie Parizek
Keaton Sherwood
McKinley Spading
Luke Stoll
Sidney Volz
Kaitlyn Wells
Michael Zittergruen

Concert Night at the Movies

The high school instrumental and vocal music departments will present the "Concert Night at the Movies" on Monday, March 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the Benton Community Performing Arts Center! Please consider an evening of musical entertainment and support for the Fine Arts!

Be Sure To Spring Ahead

Please remember to set your clocks ahead one hour this weekend as we "spring ahead" for the remainder of the school year.  There are many positive signs of springs as the temperatures start to climb and the days are getting longer.  Looks like we might even see 50 degrees on Monday!

Have a great Bobcat Weekend!

School Survey Being Developed

The Benton Community District Advisory Committee (Benton Communication Team) is in the process of developing a school survey that will be shared with stakeholders of the school district in early May.  As part of the school improvement process school districts are required to conduct a needs assessment at least once every five years.  Typically the surveys are aligned with the school accreditation visit process which Benton participated in during the 2012-13 school year.  

The survey will likely be disseminated primarily electronically through either the school notification system or the school website.  We will communicate additional information to patrons of the school district as we approach the release of the survey.  

School Dismissed Early on Wednesday for PD

Classes will be dismissed on Wednesday, March 5th at 1:00 p.m. for professional development.  There are two additional early dismisses during the month of March.  On Friday, March 21st classes will be dismissed at 1:00 p.m.  The elementary staff will be working on grade reporting and the MS/HS staff in professional development activities.  On Wednesday, March 26th the MS/HS 3rd term will conclude and classes will also be dismissed at 1:00 p.m. on this date.  

Bobcats Conclude Terrific Season

Congratulations to the Bobcat boys basketball team on an outstanding season!  The Bobcats finished the season with an overall record of 19-5 and demonstrated on the basketball floor a high level of passion and a commitment to the team philosophy.  Last night was a great showing of support for these young men and coaches by the school community. While losing in a sub-state game is very difficult it is important to reflect on the great success and many positive experiences shared this year with the Bobcats.  Congrats on a job well done!

A Banner Day for Benton Community!

This morning the Iowa Department of Education announced that Benton Community is one of 39 school districts selected for Teacher Leadership and Compensation plan funding for the 2014-15 school year. Benton Community is one of three school districts in the GWAEA region to be selected for funding joining the Cedar Rapids and Linn-Mar School Districts.  There were 146 school districts making application for the funding. 

Districts were selected for the first round of funding based on the strength of the application as well as geographic and size diversity.  We are very proud to be a part of the first round of districts selected for implementation of a teacher leadership system in the State of Iowa.  

Bobcat Spirit

This is Bobcat Spirit!